BP88: Namibia political party prospects leading to the 2009 elections

The structure of government and opposition in Namibia as a dominant party system became solidified after independence in 1990 (Du Pisani and Lindeke, IPPR 2009).  But, over the past year a number of new political parties have been formed to challenge the established ruling party, SWAPO Party of Namibia, as it has been officially called since independence.  These new parties are also challenging the existing opposition parties in Namibia. These new parties raise the possibility of breaking the effective monopoly of voters from the north-central regions, where up to now SWAPO has received enough votes to automatically win a majority. Furthermore, the new parties may receive votes reallocated from different ethnic groups and populations allied to existing opposition parties or from those who have fallen out of electoral participation.